Money Centered Blog

On Wednesday, August 17, I hosted a webinar with guests Dan Boyce, CFP®, and Christie Peck. Dan and Christie each shared their personal journey related to philanthropic giving. Their insights were elevated by their professional experiences relating to charity – Dan as a financial planner advising clients on their philanthropic decisions and Christie as a development officer and consultant for major non-profits.

Here are three great ideas from the conversation:

Have a values conversation with yourself and the other interested parties that help you to make your giving decisions. Christie described a retreat where she got together with her sibling to define the areas of giving for their family foundation, The Peck Foundation. Dan shared how he and his wife Sue went from making smaller gifts to many organizations to focusing their giving on three areas: faith community, education, and arts and culture, especially music. As you try to get started with your own values conversation, consider using our document “Crafting Your Philanthropic Values Statement” to frame the conversation.

Embrace the gift that giving can be for you. Dan pointed to a quote from Eckhart Tolle that has helped to guide him: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Dan shared that his work with charities through financial gifts as well as volunteering and leadership has done extraordinary things for him and his family. This includes becoming involved on the board of Prescott College. Dan and Sue eventually relocated to Prescott, Arizona through their journey with the organization.

“Joy is a metric.” Christie shared this wonderful quote which she and her family use to evaluate outcomes. They make grants to non-profits that have specific desired outcomes, but they also recognize that their work is about developing relationships with organizations that are serving the areas that they’ve defined as most important for their foundation. They’ve been given the opportunity to work on fantastic projects, and this has enhanced their relationship as a family and memories that they share with each other.

There is much more packed into this 50-minute conversation including an introduction to Christie’s “Get Acquainted Grants,” Dan’s preview of the differences in giving vehicles, a discussion of introducing philanthropy to your family’s next generation, and insightful personal experiences that Dan and Christie share about their own giving experiences. Fortunately, if you missed it the first time around, we have a recording available.

Melissa Joy, CFP® is Partner and Director of Investments at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.® In 2013, Melissa was honored by Financial Advisor magazine in the Research All Star List for the third consecutive year. In addition to her contributions to Money Centered blogs, she writes investment updates at The Center and is regularly quoted in national media publications including The Chicago Tribune, Investment News, and Morningstar Advisor.

Financial Advisor magazine's inaugural Research All Star List is based on job function of the person evaluated, fund selections and evaluation process used, study of rejected fund examples, and evaluation of challenges faced in the job and actions taken to overcome those challenges. Evaluations are independently conducted by Financial Advisor Magazine.

Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. does not provide advice on tax or legal issues, these matters should be discussed with theappropriate professional. Raymond James is not affiliated with Christie Peck or The Peck Foundation. Donors are urged to consult their attorneys, accountants or tax advisors with respect to questions relating to the deductibility of various types of contributions to a Donor-Advised Fund for federal and state tax purposes. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

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